A figure stands in a temple in Paris, the lightning without the building throwing flashes into the room. Subordinates approach and state that all is ready. The man ominously intones, “It has already begun, the power is building … The price of failure is Armageddon - God go with you.”

Cut to a plane, floating through the calm and clear skies, the Australian pilot and his passenger, George, talking about a girl in Paris. As for the flight itself …

“Weather like this, the old crate flies herself,” chuckles Harry, the Aussie pilot.

“How about weather like that?” George asks, indicating the fierce storm waiting to embrace them in the distance.

Cut to a pimply faced computer geek, charting weather patterns. A knock sounds on his door, and a lithe woman is waiting outside. He glances nervously about, and admits her. He then begins explaining to her, nose almost pressed to the screen, what he has decoded.

“No one has ever done that and they paid me serious money,” he says, his words spilling out quickly. “Now they want to kill me because I know too much.” The reply is a metallic click and the barrel of a big silver gun is pressed to his temple.

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon, an Xbox release from The Adventure Company is an adventure title that combines puzzles with lush graphics and a mystery. The game itself is quite linear in design and the only fumbling that players may experience is in relation to navigating an area until the right items pop up in the control menu to indicate a way through.

The player interface for this title is very simple to use. Most of the actions are centered on the A, B, X, and Y buttons on the Xbox controller. When you arrive at an area that requires an action of some sort, the menu in the lower right of the screen shows the options and the keys to which they are assigned.

The game does go for some cheap laughs, some of which fall flat (especially to a reviewer in state used as the butt of the joke).

George, a patent lawyer, is on his way to meet a scientist who has a machine that can create an unlimited source of energy.

“And you believe that?” says an incredulous Harry.

“Of course not,” replies George, “but have you ever lived in Idaho?”

“Fair enough,” conceded Harry.

The game itself evolves around seismic events, which are rattling the world from Beijing to New York. Thrown into the mix is the order of the Templars, and another more malevolent force. It falls to George Stobbart and Nico Collard (a journalist in Paris) to uncover the secret and stop the vile plans before the world is destroyed.

The game is not without some graphical glitches. If left alone for several minutes, the characters go into a series of knee-bending jerks. But the game does employ dynamic lighting and shadows, and lush well-detailed environments. The audio of the game is also well done, and though it can be repetitive, if you retread the same path in looking for the solution to continue on the path, the game does a nice job with the vocal characterizations and musical score.

If Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon has any stumbles they lay in the linear nature of the game. It basically comes down to spending time to find the right path through a scenario, but counter that with a solid adventure title that is suitable for the whole family.
 

Gameplay: 7.4

The game is very linear and has numerous cutscenes that, while well done, do interrupt the flow of the gameplay.

Graphics: 8.7

The graphical elements of this title are very good. The environments are lush and well detailed, and the animation is smooth.

Sound: 8.5

The musical score supports the action nicely, and the vocal characterizations add the right touch to the mood.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

This is a linear game that only requires you to work through a level. While some of the puzzles are challenging, the overall difficulty is not. You are move through each level, collecting all the elements you need to advance.

Concept: 8

The player interface is designed for ease of use. Players can jump right into this adventure and go. The story is involved and pulls players deeper into the game.

Overall: 8.3

Yes, this game is very linear, but it is entertaining and easy to get to hop into the mix and play. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is the kind of game that will appeal to almost anyone in the family. The very nature of the title will have people kibitzing from the sidelines about what to try next to work through a level. This game may be more passive in terms of action, but is nonetheless enjoyable.